Before talking through fantasy implications of last night's game, we have a winner of the closest-score competition: Scott Delude (31-28 Chiefs). When it was 30-23, I thought I'd be the first 3x winner if Travis Kelce netted a fifth TD. But alas, the Raiders scored, and then inexplicably went for two (or maybe explicably, since hindsight is 20/20, etc.). Anyway, a big congrats to Scott, who joins the not-yet-famed winner's circle.
Now to the game. First, a mea culpa about Kelce. Yes, I missed badly on him this summer, believing his advancing age and a spread-the-ball offense would earn him his worst statistical season in years. Instead, he's at the top of his game. I don't understand it, and that's my problem. So hats off to those who drafted him early, locking in a TE who's more doubling the production of all but seven TEs.
But in fairness, I warned more heavily against Darren Waller, who was my TE11 (compared to a TE5 ADP). For more context, of the 100+ experts compiled by FantasyPros, no one ranked him outside their top 10 TEs. For even more context, as subscribers know, I ranked him 111th overall, compared to an overall 44 ADP. That's about as big a fade as you'll find for a player of his caliber. There were at least eight reasons why I tagged him as bust, including unsustainably inflated red-zone usage an higher-than-normal injury risk. It's probably too late to sell high or even sell medium. But it's not too late to snag a more reliable option on waivers.
Patrick Mahomes entered this context with 3+ passing TDs in 45% of his career starts. I believe last night pushes him to 46%. It's a mind-boggling feat for a 27-year-old who could reach 200 touchdowns by the end of this season, putting him on a trajectory to challenge Tom Brady's ever-growing record. Mahomes is locked in, and he'll need to remain locked in with the Bills up next.
Meanwhile, Derek Carr was Derek Carr. Underthrew Davante Adams on his first score, but Adams was so far in front of the nearest defender, he had time to wait for it and then run the rest of the way. The second TD pass to Adams was beautiful. Other throws looked like prayers. This isn't the old days when he had one or two reliable options. The franchise has handed him an array of receiving talent. Yeah, Waller's early exit hurt, especially with Hunter Renfrow out. But notably on that final drive, in a pseudo-hurry-up offense, Josh Jacobs pickd up more yardage on the ground than Carr did through the air.
Speaking of running backs, I whiffed on Jacobs dominating again. He and Adams combined for 317 of the Raiders' 396 yards (80%). I had thought Clyde Edwards-Helaire would be the better back in a positive game script. Instead, CEH struggled for the second time in three games, although he nearly scored in what resulted in Kelce's first TD of the night. Still, Jerick McKinnon ran better. This backfield remains on the edge of confusing. I'd to say sell high on CEH, especially with the Bills, 49ers, and a bye week coming up. But he's also the starter in a high-powered offense. That obviously matters.
Now to the game. First, a mea culpa about Kelce. Yes, I missed badly on him this summer, believing his advancing age and a spread-the-ball offense would earn him his worst statistical season in years. Instead, he's at the top of his game. I don't understand it, and that's my problem. So hats off to those who drafted him early, locking in a TE who's more doubling the production of all but seven TEs.
But in fairness, I warned more heavily against Darren Waller, who was my TE11 (compared to a TE5 ADP). For more context, of the 100+ experts compiled by FantasyPros, no one ranked him outside their top 10 TEs. For even more context, as subscribers know, I ranked him 111th overall, compared to an overall 44 ADP. That's about as big a fade as you'll find for a player of his caliber. There were at least eight reasons why I tagged him as bust, including unsustainably inflated red-zone usage an higher-than-normal injury risk. It's probably too late to sell high or even sell medium. But it's not too late to snag a more reliable option on waivers.
Patrick Mahomes entered this context with 3+ passing TDs in 45% of his career starts. I believe last night pushes him to 46%. It's a mind-boggling feat for a 27-year-old who could reach 200 touchdowns by the end of this season, putting him on a trajectory to challenge Tom Brady's ever-growing record. Mahomes is locked in, and he'll need to remain locked in with the Bills up next.
Meanwhile, Derek Carr was Derek Carr. Underthrew Davante Adams on his first score, but Adams was so far in front of the nearest defender, he had time to wait for it and then run the rest of the way. The second TD pass to Adams was beautiful. Other throws looked like prayers. This isn't the old days when he had one or two reliable options. The franchise has handed him an array of receiving talent. Yeah, Waller's early exit hurt, especially with Hunter Renfrow out. But notably on that final drive, in a pseudo-hurry-up offense, Josh Jacobs pickd up more yardage on the ground than Carr did through the air.
Speaking of running backs, I whiffed on Jacobs dominating again. He and Adams combined for 317 of the Raiders' 396 yards (80%). I had thought Clyde Edwards-Helaire would be the better back in a positive game script. Instead, CEH struggled for the second time in three games, although he nearly scored in what resulted in Kelce's first TD of the night. Still, Jerick McKinnon ran better. This backfield remains on the edge of confusing. I'd to say sell high on CEH, especially with the Bills, 49ers, and a bye week coming up. But he's also the starter in a high-powered offense. That obviously matters.